My Art

I have scanned and uploaded a small offering of my art. These are mostly pencil sketches, my favorite medium, and show the range of interests and several techniques. I hope you enjoy viewing as much as I did sketching them.

Wooden Wagon Axle

This piece is the classic example of the kind of art I like to produce. I came across this photo in a magazine and had to sketch it for myself. I like to render my own versions of pictures like these because it offers a lot of detail and contrast. I love to make drawings that are as detailed and as near to an exact reproduction of the original as possible. In that sense I am more of an illustrator than a true artist.

It's rare that I feel an urge to express my inner-most feelings on canvas. On most of the occassions when I render a sketch it's because someone has asked for a piece or I see a photo or image that I think is so eye catching that I feel I must reproduce it in my own style. For additional still life and landscapes click here

Carrots

Some Of my favorite objects to sketch are fruits, vegetables and flowers. If you arrange the lighting just right you can achieve some very dramatic affects. Again I got very absorbed in the detail and contrast of the various components of the individual carrots and leaves. Plus, the carrot is probably my favorite vegetable!! For more sketches of other fruits I really life click here

Flower

Flowers are some of the most beautiful things on earth. There is such a huge variety and the color schemes are endless. I sketched this ?????? (Okay, I admit I don't know what variety of flower it is) in graphite so you don't get the affects of its real colors but can you see the delicate structure and subtle shading. I remember spending a lot of time on this sketch and I enjoyed every minute of it. For more sketches of more flowers
click here.

Pony

Pets and other animals have long been one of my favorite subjects. I recall my first 'commission' (unpaid I might add) was sketching a picture of a kitten for a sixth grade classmate. I remember being very apprehensive that she would not think it was good enough but as I recall it was a big hit with her and her girlfriends. I also recall being teased for a long time that we were boy & girl friends. For a shy, introverted kid it was a fate worse than death.

Animals with their fur, feathers as well as other physical attributes offer a wealth of opportunities for the type of detailed drawing that I love.Click here for sketches of more pets and other animals.

Ebony Sister

I guess I forget to mention that I arranged these sketches in the order of best to not so good. That brings me to what I consider my weak point, 'People!' I like to sketch people and at times I can produce a portrait that is to me, very good. However, I really have to work hard to reproduce that spark of life and character that makes a good portrait. Over the years friends have told me that it's because I lack the necessary degree of sensitivity and depth of feeling. I used to think 'oh really!' As I get older I am becoming inclined to agree. I'm past sixty, so I hope its not to late.

Now about the sketch. If I recall correctly it was from a photo in Ebony Magazine. I thought that it was such a striking pose and I had to render my version. I didn't really do it justice. For many years I had a pencil portrait business which gave me a lot of practice. I believe I got better at it. If you would like to view some of my commissions you can click here for portraits of adults.

Occassionally someone comissions me to sketch a famous person. For a sellection of the best click here.

As you might suspect portraits of children was the bulk of my business. Most parents love candid photographs of their kids but a portrait of a child at a milestone in his or her life is very special. For a sampling of the best portraits of children I've sketched over the years click here.

I really enjoy sketching portraits but after ten years I became a little burned-out and haven't actively promoted the business for a while. I mostly do projects for friends and former customers who come back to me for portraits of additional family members or their children as they get older. The recession even put a dent in that business so for the last couple of years I've concentrated on my writing.

If you want to read pulse-pounding novels of adventure and intrigue check out my Sci-Fi novels.